Feels Like Home
by Mrs Turtle
Summary: It's been a long road, but the masters of the White Lotus have finally retired...


A/N: Well, it's been fun...Thank you for the few people who've been reading (you know who you are!) and reviewing, I really appreciate the support. This has not been an easy road, and I've learned a lot about my own writing style. I've also learned more about the show A:TLA than I care to know (I have a recurring dream where my sister and I are playing pai sho over cups of steaming jasmine tea...I need to get out more). So, with no further delay and no apologies for the gooey mush of a plot line that's kept me going, the last installment of my 'master's fluff' series!

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. C.S. Lewis

* * *

Five old men sat around a table in the corner of a cozy tea shop. Two were playing pai sho, one poured tea, and the remaining two were trying to give advice to the players.

"And how does the former Fire Nation admiral expect to escape my onslaught?" Pakku asked, taking a sip from a small cup of tea.

"How do you expect to manage your game when you can't even manage a full beard?" Jeong Jeong said as he countered by playing a knotwood piece onto the board.

"That's tough talk for someone who stole the look," Pakku said, pulling a flask from his sleeve.

"Stole or made better?" He smiled as Pakku poured clear liquid into both of their tea cups.

"How dare you ruin such a delicate balance." Iroh chided next to them.

Pakku passed his flask to Iroh, "Every artist has room for improvement."

"I keep telling you," Iroh said, passing the flask to the youngest in the group, "My tea does not need improvement."

"Just something to take the edge off, Iroh." Piandao said, pouring the moonshine into his tea.

"I still don't approve," Iroh said, watching Piandao pass the flask.

"Didn't I see you slip out for a smoke break earlier, Iroh?" Bumi raised an eyebrow before taking a swig straight from the flask.

"That's besides the point." Iroh smiled as Bumi passed the flask, "Why do you think I have my own teapot?"

"Iroh's weed will get you to the spirit world in style." Jeong Jeong slapped another tile on the board and took a hard swig from the flask. "Better than this spirit moonshine."

"It won't help you at all." Pakku smirked, "All this grey hair, we're all getting ready to meet our ancestors."

"True," Jeong Jeong said, passing the flask back to Pakku, "but at least my ancestors were good looking."

"They'll be disappointed when you get there," Piandao smiled.

"We are all heirs of our past," Iroh said, "but we devise our own future."

"What about the present?" Bumi asked as he drained his teacup. Iroh poured him more.

"That's all you've ever been good for," Pakku said, moving a piece on the board.

"Well I wasn't much for bad," Bumi said, rubbing his chin. "Speaking of bad, how's that niece of yours, Iroh?"

Iroh gave a deep sigh, "Slowly losing her grip on sanity."

"I wonder if we knew someone in a similar situation who could talk to her," Pakku chuckled, looking at Bumi.

"Piandao's schedule should be clear," Bumi said.

Piandao sat calmly, taking another sip from his tea, "I'll see what I can do."

"I meant..." Pakku started, and Jeong Jeong raised his hand.

"Just let it go," Jeong Jeong said quietly as Piandao finished his tea. Iroh lifted the teapot to pour more, but Piandao stopped him.

"I told you I couldn't stay long," Piandao said, "I have a date."

"Who's this date with?" Jeong Jeong asked, sliding a white lotus tile across the board.

"What makes you think I'd tell you?" The younger man turned his teacup upside down.

"You turn down a lesson from the master?" Jeong Jeong looked at him, feigning shock.

"And how many children has the master fathered in his lifetime?" Piandao asked lightly.

"Just one," Jeong Jeong said, studying the board as Piandao stood.

"One?" Piandao raised his eyebrows.

Jeong Jeong motioned towards the board, "I'm in the middle of a game."

"Keep your secrets," Piandao bowed, "I have a feeling I will find out soon enough. Good evening, gentlemen."

The group was silent as he walked towards the door.

Once he was out of the shop, Pakku spoke. "He shouldn't speak of secrets. He still can't admit to it, can he?"

"Give him time," Jeong Jeong said, then nodded at the board. "Your move."

Pakku just snorted, "Any more time and Bumi will die of boredom."

They turned with wide eyes as Bumi's head slammed down on the table. As they stared, the old earth bender started to snore.

"False alarm," Pakku sighed, "I better help this old fart home before he ends up sleeping in the ostrich horse pens again."

The water bender stood and gathered Bumi under his arm. Jeong Jeong and Iroh started packing up the pai sho board. As the duo left, a middle aged woman held the door open for them before walking in.

"She looks familiar," Iroh said quietly, nodding towards the woman coming up to them.

"Our pasts eventually catch up to us," Jeong Jeong said, and he and Iroh got to their feet.

"The one?" Iroh asked as the woman came up and hugged Jeong Jeong.

"You've always known of my affinity for unprotected sex and working women," Jeong Jeong said with a wink, and the woman rolled her eyes. "This is my daughter Meng."

"Dad, we're going to be late for the play," Meng said, pulling on his arm.

"Same time tomorrow?" Jeong Jeong asked, not waiting for a reply as they headed towards the door.

"Goodbye old friend," Iroh called after him.

Iroh put the pai sho board away on a low shelf, then grabbed a tray to to clear their table. As the General picked up Piandao's overturned cup, he thought of the child who was once so awkward, even overcompensating, now a self-assured sword master.

Even Jeong Jeong, who seemed to always be a grumpy old man, seemed happy with his new life out of hiding.

Iroh took the tray of dishes to the back to start washing up, noting the ding where Bumi's head hit the table. Bumi was, well, Bumi.

He took the dishes to the sink and started to scrub, and his eyes wandered over the sink and to two framed pictures. He smiled at the illistration his new friend Sokka had drawn on the day the Jasmine Dragon re-opened. His thoughts wandered to Pakku; the old master was enjoying time with his new grandchildren, taking care not to insult the artwork when Sokka proudly showed it off. Iroh had promised the teen he'd frame it, and he promised his old friend he'd keep it out of sight.

Next to it was the favorite portrait of his son, tattered edges now protected behind glass.

"War is sweet to the inexperienced," Iroh said, talking as if someone could hear him. "If it wasn't for your cousin, I would have gladly joined you far earlier than was my time. You know Zuko needed the help."

Iroh put the last of the cups on the drying rack, then sighed as he leaned on the counter. After a moment of reflection, he looked up at the picture again.

"Your cousin saved me, and having good friends makes the destination worth the journey..." He smiled, nodding at the picture, "Until our paths cross in the next world, my son. I love you."


End file.
